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Bijani presidential election, 1955
The Bijani presidential election of 1955 took place on Monday, June 13, 1955, and Tuesday, June 14, 1955, to elect the President of the Republic, the head of state of Bijan. This was the second presidential election to take place in Bijan. Avro Sandurvo, a member of the Bijani National Party national executive, was the only candidate nominated and was elected by the House of Representatives on the second round of voting. Background Incumbent president Nemu Neĉemu had planned to seek a nomination for a second term in office. Much of his first term, however, was fraught with Neĉemu's declining health. Already 66 years old when his first term was set to expire, Neĉemu's chronic emphysema and near complete blindness prevented him from fulfilling some of his constitutionally mandated duties during the last eighteen months of his temr. Despite insisting on pursuing a second term as late as May 1955, he was ultimately persuaded to step down and vacate the office in favor of whoever was elected to succeed him. Neĉemu would not have survived another six-year term; he died on May 19, 1960, at the age of 71. Electoral system The President of Bijan is a largely ceremonial post. The duties and functions of the President are tightly controlled by the constitution, the law, and political convention. Because of the largely non-executive nature of the office, the Constitution confers the duty of electing the President upon the House of Representatives. The election takes place during a sitting of the House, and begins with a nominations period. The ability to nominate a candidate rests with not less than one-fifth of the membership of the House, which at the time was 30 members. To be elected, a candidate who receives a vote equal to or exceeding two-thirds of the total membership of the House is elected. In 1955, this threshold was 100 votes. If no candidate receives the two-thirds majority, a second round of nominations and a subsequent ballot takes place the following day. Nominations and first round The election began on Monday, June 13, 1955, during the final week of the autumn 1955 session of the 2nd House. The ruling Bijani National Party, which held an outright majority in the House with 89 of the 150 seats, nominated Avro Sandurvo a member of the party's national executive committee. None of the other parties held the requisite 30 seats on their own, and there was no consensus among groups of parties to put forth a joint candidate. Thus, with only one candidate, a ballot took place. No candidate received a two-thirds vote in favor, so a second round of voting was scheduled for the next day. Reopened nominations and second round The second round of the election began at 10:00am on Tuesday, June 14, 1955. A second round of nominations took place, in which the same candidate as the previous day was nominated. With 70% of the vote, Avro Sandurvo received the required two-thirds majority and was declared elected. His term began on 1 July 1955. Category:Bijan